AVENGERS: DOOMSDAY Directors Shut Down the Biggest Doctor Doom and Tony Stark Theory
It’s still pretty wild that Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doctor Doom. That is one of the most unnexpected casting announcments Marvel Studios has made, and fans have spent plenty of time trying to figure out exactly what it means.
Now, the directors of Avengers: Doomsday may have thrown a pretty big wrench into the most popular theory.
Ever since Robert Downey Jr. was announced as Victor von Doom, the obvious question has been how the MCU plans to explain why its new major villain has the same face as Tony Stark.
That question has fueled a ton of theories. Maybe Doom is a Tony Stark variant. Maybe Tony was somehow a Doom variant all along. Another possibility is that Doom uses magic to take Stark's appearance as a way to manipulate the Avengers and other heroes.
That magic theory picked up more attention after the Avengers: Endgame Encore reveal involving Doctor Doom coming for Bruce Banner following the events of Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The Tony Stark variant theory, though, has remained one of the easiest explanations to buy. The MCU has spent years playing with alternate realities and variants, so connecting Doom and Tony through the Multiverse would provide a fairly straightforward answer to why Downey is playing both characters.
Except that apparently isn't how directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo approached Doom. During an interview with Fandango, the Russo brothers addressed the character and offered a comment that could knock the Tony Stark variant theory off course:
“Victor von Doom is his own creation. He’s an original character, and he was fully approached that way.”
That sounds pretty clear. According to the Russos, Victor von Doom isn't being treated as another version of Tony Stark. He's Victor von Doom.
Joe Russo has previously made a similar point, saying Doom and Tony have “zero similarities.” At the time, that comment could easily have been interpreted as Russo talking about their personalities rather than their identities. The latest statement makes the distinction between the two characters sound much more important.
Of course, Marvel isn't going to reveal the answer to one of Doomsday's biggest mysteries in an interview before the movie arrives. The Russos can also truthfully say that Victor is his own character without explaining why he happens to look exactly like Tony Stark.
If Doom really has no multiversal, magical, or personal connection to Tony, Doomsday still has a pretty massive question to answer. Downey spent more than a decade as the face of the MCU, and Tony Stark's death in Avengers: Endgame was one of the defining moments of the entire franchise.
Putting Downey back on screen as Doctor Doom naturally carries baggage that the movie can't simply pretend isn't there.
Marvel could technically have Downey play Victor von Doom as a completely unrelated person and leave it at that, but it would be difficult for audiences, and especially the Avengers themselves, to ignore the resemblance.
There's also the larger concern surrounding Downey's return. Some fans have wondered whether Marvel brought its biggest star back primarily to generate excitement around the MCU again. If Doomsday doesn't offer a satisfying reason for casting him as Doom, those complaints are only going to get louder.
That doesn't mean Victor needs to secretly be Tony Stark. In fact, keeping Doom firmly established as Victor von Doom would ultimately be the better choice for the character. Doom has decades of comic book history, relationships, motivations, and mythology of his own. He doesn't need to become Iron Man 2.0 just to justify Downey playing him.
Still, there has to be an explanation for the face. Unless Doom’s face will be scarred beyond recognition.
The Russos may simply be protecting whatever Marvel has planned. Their comments could also mean fans have spent years chasing a Tony Stark connection that doesn't exist.